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Improving Character Education In Preschool Programs Through Improved Program Policies, And Through The Training Of Teachers And University Student Teachers, Cheryl N. Priest

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide training, coursework, resources, children’s materials, and program policies that would improve the development of character within preschool children enrolled in a university laboratory preschool setting. Many of the young children enrolled in this school were not exhibiting the skills often associated with character development. A number of these children were not working with others to solve social problems, did not verbalize feelings or expressed feelings in unacceptable ways, and did not identify classmates as friends. Classroom teachers also found that some children were unwilling to help others and that they were doing nothing …

An Evaluation Of An Alternative High School As A Learning Organization, David K. Moore

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem that was addressed by this evaluation study was the failure of a majority of the students who entered the Alternative Program at Miami-Douglas MacArthur Senior High School South (MDMS) to return to their schools of residence. Of those who did return, over 60% were unsuccessful. The systemic changes that were needed to resolve this problem required the faculty to function as an effective learning organization as described in the research of P. Senge. Evaluation research was conducted to determine to what extent MDMS staff was functioning within each of the 5 disciplines of a learning organization.

The data …

Development And Implementation Of A Plan To Reduce The Rate Of Failure Of Ninth-Grade Students, Deborah M. Mieczkowski

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide new information for the students and staff at Manheim Central High School. The rate of failure of Grade 9 students increased from the end of the 1998 school year to the end of the 2001 school year. Teachers and administrators did not know how to improve the students’ academic performance level. Therefore, the writer developed strategies to assist both students and teachers at Manheim high school

Approximately 60 students from a class of 289 students or 20.76% of the Grade 9 students at Manheim Central High School failed one or more subjects as …

Mesquite Leadership Academy: One Solution To The Administrator Shortage, Jeanne C. Stone

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to address the shortage of administrators in the Mesquite Independent School District. The school administrator has recently been described as an endangered species (Chapko and Buchko 2001.) Across the country, school districts are faced with the challenge of hiring and retaining competent principals and assistant principals. The Mesquite Independent School District in Mesquite, Texas found itself facing this same challenge in 2001, so much so that the district’s superintendent put it forth as one of the district’s four goals for the year: to build leadership capacity in the district. For a district as large as …

Rekindling The Flame: Avoiding Teacher Burnout And Stress, John White

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation describes a program that targeted the teachers at Carver Elementary School. Teachers have indicated through informal interviews and a formal survey that they are burned out. Attendance and sick leave records show that teacher absenteeism reached 319 days in 2002.

The school is a public school with a population of 680 students in Grades Kindergarten through 6. Implemented solution strategies included (a) a beginning teacher program, (b) a teacher incentive and rewards program, (c) a teacher resource plan, (d) a professional development plan, (e) a time management course, and (f) a leadership training for the researcher.

The …

Implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports At Aspen High School, Kendall Evans

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was a case study designed to describe, analyze, and evaluate the implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to reduce the incidents of problem behavior at Aspen High School. Data collected regarding discipline referrals to the office, during the years from September 1998 to May 2003 indicated that 84 individual students on average were referred to the office each year. In addition, students who were in the juvenile justice system represented a disproportionate number of discipline referrals to the office when compared to the percentage of the student body that they represented, and the educators at …

Student Job Retention: An Urban Alternative High School Work-Study Improvement Plan, David W. Clegg

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation designed an intervention plan that sought to improve an urban alternative high school work-study program. This study applied quantitative and qualitative analysis to determine why only 40% of this program’s students successfully retained a work-study job. It was hypothesized that the percentage of successful work-study students would increase from 40% to 80% by implementing the following interventions: having each student take a career development and readiness inventory before they entered the world of work, providing each student with 5 monthly hours of structured work-study supervision from the same guidance counselor, and developing and teaching a school-to-work curriculum …

Improving Math Scores At Hutto Middle School, Marvin V. Thomas

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to determine if the Pre-Algebra Interactive Computer-Aided Natural Learning Education System (I CAN Learn Education Systems, 1999) could improve 8th-grade students’ performance in math on the Stanford Nine Achievement Test and Criterion Referenced Competency Test. Students are encouraged to become lifelong learners through a self-paced learning environment.

The writer implemented this system to deliver interactive multimedia curricula, enabling each student to learn at his or her own pace. Instruction was delivered to each student through a television-quality video, which is an integral part of every I CAN Learn (I CAN Learn Education Systems, 1999) lesson. …

Improving Teachers’ Skills When Dealing With Grieving Children Through A Grief-Training Program, Mark A. Hale

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation proposal was designed to help teachers have better skills and expertise for when they are dealing with children who are grieving and have experienced loss in their lives. The teachers for whom the program, “Grief Brief” was designed, suggested they felt as though their lack of training in this area left them without the needed tools for helping the children in their classes.

The writer proposed Grief Brief as a strategy that used brief instructional units over the course of 8 months in order to educate the teachers in various methods having to do with children and …

Ninth-Grade Transition: A Program To Ensure An Effective Transition To High School, Steven Ellis

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Freshman performance at Hunt High School was unacceptable. The 1999-2000 school year records revealed that 16% of freshmen had a grade point average of below 1.0. A total of 68 students dropped out of school during the 1999-2000 school year; 33 of these students were freshmen. In addition, 35% of freshmen failed 1 or more subjects during the 1999-2000 school year. Freshmen were also 3 times more likely to be given referrals for discipline than older students and 4 times more likely to be suspended.

The writer first conducted a preliminary investigation to find answers to this problem. As a …

Meeting The After-School Needs Of Early Adolescents, Ann Michele Allen

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide a more attractive after-school program to youth at a middle school. The program was located on the school campus and offered minimal activities, which were facilitated by untrained staff, with limited activity space for the youth to congregate. The program met daily in a school classroom, offering limited supplies and activities to the youth after school. Due to these limitations, very few youth participated in the afterschool program, thereby placing themselves at risk for harmful and inappropriate behaviors in the after-school hours.

The writer developed a more attractive after-school program for the youth. …

Engineering And Adapting Eating Environments For Students With Autism, Loretta Boggs Griffin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to identify, select, and evaluate available options for engineering and adapting the eating environments for students with autism at Metro School located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Teachers in the autistic program were concerned about behavior disruptions when students ate in the cafeteria. The noise level, excessive movement, overcrowded conditions, limited space for seating in the cafeteria, and the wait time in serving lines were conditions identified by teachers of the autistic that appeared to frustrate and overstimulate some of the students, thereby intensifying behaviors. The behaviors included being self-abusiveness, exhibiting self-stimulation, throwing food, displaying poor …

Improving The Reading Comprehension Achievement Of Third Grade Students, Delores L. Bedar

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Students at DePriest Elementary School were performing poorly on standardized assessments in reading comprehension. The possible causes of low student performance were (a) teachers’ beliefs and practices, (b) the reading curriculum, (c) students’ lack of knowledge as to how to read for meaning, and (d) the lack of parent involvement in their children’s schooling.

This dissertation examined the improvement of students’ reading comprehension performance through the use of strategic reading instruction, professional development of teachers, and parental involvement. It examined whether instructing students in the use of comprehension strategies improved their reading comprehension performance.

A reading comprehension strategies curriculum model …

Attendance: The First Step Towards Success, Steven W. Green

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Student achievement is clearly the purpose of schools, and in today's world of high stakes testing, accountability has certainly been an educational buzzword. However, there are many factors that impact student achievement levels with many of these factors being out of the control of teachers and administrators. One factor on which school officials can have an impact is student attendance.

In the past at Dobson High School in Mesa, Arizona, student attendance was addressed in two ways: first, absences, were documented and recorded; second, punishments were applied after students accumulated too many absences. This was a cold and reactive process …

The Design And Implementation Of Staff Development To Improve Literacy At Gulfport Elementary School, Sharon D. Mckinon Jackson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study examined the impact of a staff development program designed to enhance teacher preparation in literacy and its effect on the Pinellas Instructional Assessment Plan (PIAP) test scores for fourth- and fifth graders at Gulfport Elementary School. A readiness, planning, training, implementation, and maintenance (RPTIM) staff development model was used (Zepeda, 1999). The staff development strategies of teacher collaboration, time for training, transfer of skills, and creation of a professional learning organization were used to improve student literacy. Problems, such as high mobility rates, low socioeconomic levels, lack of student readiness when entering kindergarten, high concentrations of exceptional education …

Chalkboard To Smart Board: Improving Computer Competence Among Ellington Middle School Teachers, Barbara J. Ripa

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation report describes a program designed to improve teacher computer competence in Ellington, a rural town in Connecticut. Scores on a state-designed computer competence tool indicated that middle school teachers lacked computer skills. Further investigation indicated an infrequent use of school computers and a lack of knowledge about computer applications and peripherals.

It was apparent that the low level of teacher computer competence could be attributed to several causes: (a) teachers lacked knowledge regarding appropriate computer applications for their classrooms; (b) teachers lacked skill in using computers, various applications, and peripherals such as scanners and Smart Boards; (c) …

The Job Of An Assistant Principal In An Urban High School Setting, Brenda Savoy

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation provides an in-depth discussion of the problems that the researcher encounters as a high school assistant principal in an urban mid eastern city in the United States. In the first chapter, the reader is provided with a depiction of the most significant of the 16 duties assigned to her by the principal. Chapter 2 discusses the challenges that the researcher encountered before entering the position, primarily due to a lack of mentoring.

The report presents the most frustrating aspect of the position--not having a well-defined job description--and the fact that there is no structured order or time …

The Development And Validation Of A Performance-Based Team Approach To New Teacher Induction At Woodbridge High School, Robert Zega

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to develop an effective new teacher induction program that would address the large number of discipline incidents referred to the administration by the new teachers at Woodbridge High School. The administrators were concerned that these excessive discipline incidents were an indication of a lack of class management strategies displayed by the new teachers. Initial comparisons of student discipline data supported the existence of this problem. The block schedule implemented at Woodbridge High School magnified these discipline problems.

The writer utilized development methodology to produce and validated a supplemental new teacher induction process that attended to …

Teacher Mentoring And Teacher Attrition In A Rural Georgia School System, Brenda K. James

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Teacher attrition is a critical issue. The literature suggests that schools provide professional opportunities for master teachers to mentor new teachers through the use of well-designed induction or mentor programs. These opportunities develop teaching skills, improve teaching performance, and increase teacher retention.

This applied dissertation was designed to improve teacher retention at a high school located in a rural community in South Georgia. A mentoring program was developed and implemented at a high school. The program provided training to select mentors that included nonevaluative supervision, coaching, conflict resolution, collaborative problem solving, communication, and effective feedback strategies.

Mentor teachers and protégés …

Third Grade Struggling Readers And Fast Forword, Jeannie Gallo

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation utilized an adaptive computer training program known as Fast ForWord as an intervention to improve the literacy skills of struggling, below-level third grade readers at Smyser Accelerated School. The intent of the intervention was to improve students’ phonemic awareness, reading comprehension, and spelling skills on standardized tests and to improve classroom performance grades in reading and spelling.

A large number of students in third grade are not able to achieve at or above level on the reading comprehension test of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. It was believed that a high mobility rate in second and …

A Second Chance For Struggling Students, Irene R. Fujii

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The focus on standards and the California high school exit exam has had an impact on all students, especially students who are already having a difficult time in school. For the past 3-year period, 1999 through 2002, students from a bay area continuation high school had a retention rate of less than 25% in career technical programs.

The purpose of this study was to determine if the Skills Tutor Program (Achievement Technologies, 2000), a computerized instructional program, would assist continuation students to stay in school by helping them to enhance their academic performance and attitudes toward school.

The population for …

Ethical Decision Making In Speech-Language Pathology: What Is The Difference In Perception Between Faculty And Second Year Graduate Students?, Kerrilyn R. Phillips

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether speech-language pathology faculty perceptions of ethical behavior are different from speech-language pathology graduate students’ perceptions of ethical behavior. Participants consisted of 34 second-year speech-language pathology graduate students and 27 faculty members from Council of Academic Accreditation (CAA) training programs in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana. All participants completed an investigator-designed instrument consisting of ethical scenarios. Results of this study indicated that significant differences between faculty and student perceptions for ethical decision-making were indicated in two of eight scenarios. The two scenarios in which significant differences were identified related to supervision and …

Personality Profiles And Leadership Styles Of University Clinical Supervisors In Speech-Language Pathology Academic Programs, Angela F. Sherman

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This dissertation was designed to collect descriptive data about personality types and leadership styles of speech-language pathology clinical supervisors who are employed in university degree-training programs. Participants completed a Demographic Data Sheet, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Form M), and the Styles of Leadership Survey. Thirty-two pre-coded completed packets were returned (56% return rate) and analyzed to determine personality profiles and leadership styles for the respondents. No significant personality type was identified among participants. However, participants’ profiles indicated sensing (46%) and judging (56%) as dominant personality traits. The results suggested that there are no significant relationships between the MBTI personality types and …

Implementation Of Measures That Establish An Atmosphere Of Safety, Order, And Discipline On School Grounds, Robert N. Baldwin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to determine the effects that specific interventions have on student behavior change regarding drug and alcohol use on school grounds. A change in leadership philosophy, drug and alcohol survey results, and school community input were the impetus for a study as to the effectiveness of interventions of behavioral indicators. The researcher was clearly interested in systematically reducing alcohol and other drug use on school grounds in order to promote an environment of high-level learning. School accountability was focused on increasing student achievement levels in English language arts and math. A review of related research substantiated …

Political Agitation: Can A Political Mandate Be Used As A Catalyst For Creating A Learning Organization?, James W "Kip" Stevens

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation dealt with the efforts of the principal at Turner County Middle School to use state mandates as a catalyst for creating a learning community of teachers. The hypothesis was that the teachers’ anger at the politicians could be redirected by the principal into a unified vision of raising their students’ reading test scores on standardized tests. The principal sought to use inclusion, empowerment and co-operative peer led instruction for the mandated staff development course. The question was asked, “Can peer led staff development that has specific teacher and student outcomes outlined in advance increase student learning, resulting …

Improving The Behavior Of Primary School Students With Involvement From Students, Staff, And Families, Judith Spieth Justice

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide better behavior from primary-aged (grades kindergarten through grade 3) school students. Primary aged students were exhibiting disruptive behavior, and this research delved into the evidence, causes, and solutions for disruptive behavior. Disruptive behavior interrupted the learning environment and threatened the physical and emotional safety of the school. Students who behaved inappropriately often perceived themselves as "troublemakers" and established a pattern early in school years. Because it is easier to eliminate problem behaviors before they become a pattern, the writer sought to break the cycle of disruptive behavior in primary ages.

The writer developed …

Developing A Support-Based Program To Decrease The Complaints Of Racial Profiling In The Miami-Dade Police Department, Richard E. Holton

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to focus on the problem that African American citizens are complaining about being stopped and detained unnecessarily by police officers and treated unfairly for no apparent reason in Miami-Dade County. National police organizations, special interest groups, and local citizens have defined this action as Racial Profiling or Driving While Black (DWB). The Miami-Dade County Commission adopted a resolution prohibiting racial profiling; however this problem continues to exist. Minorities have argued in town hall meetings and filed complaints, indicating that the criminal justice system has been insensitive to what appears to be a system that supports …

Development Of A Comprehensive Mathematics Anxiety Intervention Program For Missouri Southern State College With A Plan For Implementation And Evaluation, Laura Schooler Adkins

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to develop a comprehensive mathematics anxiety intervention program for the preservice elementary education teachers at Missouri Southern State College (MSSC). The problem addressed was the need at MSSC for a mathematics anxiety intervention program to help hundreds of students experience increased academic and career success as a direct outcome of the intervention program.

The purpose of the project was to develop a comprehensive intervention program to prevent, reduce, or eliminate mathematics anxiety among the preservice elementary education teachers at MSSC. Three research questions provided the focus for the study: (1) How can mathematics anxiety be …

Improving The Reading And Writing Skills Of Retained Eighth Grade Students, Beverley Mckenzie

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to assist eighth grade students who were retained in improving their Reading and Writing skills. These students failed school courses and did not meet the required standards for promotion to high school. The students were previously in large classes with other low-achieving students, were not given individualized attention, were not exposed to the use of technologies, were not given adequate support services, and were not taught by experienced teachers.

The writer designed an after-school program to assist the students with Reading and Writing skills. An experienced Language Arts teacher was asked to work with the …

The Role Of The School Administrator In Building A Positive Culture In A New Elementary School Setting, Amy R. Davis

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to study the role of the school administrator in building a positive school culture in a new setting. As an administrator in a newly established elementary school, the writer found that, with staff coming from various prior work settings, set rituals and culture were nonexistent. The applied dissertation was designed to provide a vehicle for establishing a positive school culture in this setting.

The writer provided opportunities for staff to plan collaboratively and to develop collegial relations over a 9-month period of time. Staff development that focused on team building and collaboration was planned and …